Ridgewood Talks Village Council Candidate Election Special with Siobhan Winograd & Evan Weitz

Joining from a studio in southern England, Host Jeanne Johnson welcomes incumbent Village Council candidates Siobhan Winograd and Evan Weitz to Ridgewood Talks for 2026 election coverage. Evan and Siobhan clarify that they are running separate campaigns for two open seats but they do endorse each other, then share personal background and prior public service. Winograd and Weitz discuss major Ridgewood issues including the long-delayed Schedler property plan (historic house, park amenities, and a proposed turf multipurpose field), property taxes and spending priorities, grants and public-private partnerships, downtown economic development through the Special Improvement District and Ridgewood Business Alliance, the pedestrian tunnel remediation and potential public art, efforts to preserve the Warner Theatre via an option agreement supporting a Ridgewood Arts Foundation grant bid, parking policies, and council transparency and operational reforms such as improvements to the building department. They share campaign contacts and promote the League of Women Voters debate and early voting dates. *** Important Episode Background for Transparency: We invited both Board of Education candidates, Mary E. Micale and Anabelle Andon to participate, but because their election is uncontested, they graciously declined. We extended invitations to all four candidates running for the Ridgewood Village Council. Because of the special production requirements, there was a cost associated with participating. The cost was to strictly to cover production expenses and were in no way payments for favorable coverage or editorial influence. Every candidate was offered the same opportunity under the same terms. In return, we agreed to produce and distribute the interviews and highlights through the Ridgewood Talks podcast and social media channels. HyunJu Kwak did not respond to our invitation, and Denise Pierce-Lima declined to participate. Only our two incumbent council members, Siobhan Winograd and Evan Weitz accepted and participated in this episode. Neither candidate received the questions in advance. Episode Chapters: (00:00) Show Setup Abroad (00:49) Interview Ground Rules (02:21) Meet The Candidates (04:21) Not A Joint Ticket (05:19) Lightning Round Bios (07:31) Public Service Records (14:15) Civic Engagement Push (14:50) What Makes Ridgewood (16:50) Schedler Park Debate (27:36) Taxes Spending Plans (35:47) Valley Hospital Taxes (36:53) Business Alliance Explained (39:01) Beautification and Openings (42:16) Digital Footprint Push (44:20) Pedestrian Tunnel Fix (48:32) Saving Warner Theatre (55:15) Parking Plans and Passes (59:08) Transparency and Access (01:03:56) Building Department Overhaul (01:06:28) How to Get Involved (01:07:44) Final Sign Off Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE to stay informed about all things Ridgewood, New Jersey! Evan Weitz Campaign Socials and Web https://www.evanweitz.com/ Evan Campaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weitzforridgewood/ Evan Campaign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeitzForRidgewood Siobhan Winograd Socials and Web https://winograd2026.com/ Siobhan Campaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winograd2026 Siobhan Campaign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593754692177 Ridgewood Walks and Talks: https://www.ridgewoodwalks.com Ridgewood Talks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridgewood_talks Ridgewood Talks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1291013971028083 This episode is produced by Ignite Creator Studios, Bergen County’s premier video podcasting & content strategy service! Ignite Creator Studios: https://www.ignitecreatorstudios.com/ Theme music by Dave Gross from the album Mandology. Find the song: Cool it! - on Apple Music Here: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/david-gross/288722944 And you can find Dave Gross – Mandology on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/DaveGrossMandology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices